Avoidable NCT fails, what stupid thing did you forget to check?

my3cents

Just back from the NCT center for the second time today, first time I failed on Windscreen Wiper Blades - Unacceptable Both had splits and I had been told to change them by the mechanic that did a precheck for me and I had them ready to put on and just forgot :rolleyes::o

The second thing I failed on was a dim side light bulb, again I'd noticed it and forgot to change it :rolleyes:

So come on I can't be the only one who failed the NCT on something simple I should have put right before the test.

laoisfan

My old Fiesta, the spare tyre was underneath the car. Anyway, the nut/screw holding it in was loose. NCT chap told me to go around the corner, tighten it and come back straight away

irish bloke

washer bottle fluid. not me bt the way..:)

angeldelight

Back middle seatbelt was tucked in behind the seat

The Sidewards Man

To leave a €20 note by the handbrake, it failed.

colm_mcm

Had a tool box in the boot of my car years ago, I think they failed it and made it very akward rather than just asking me to take it out. One of those handy sized metal cantilever ones.

Failed on a cracked Foglight, to be fair they retested it within a few minutes, agri supplies place across the road, silage tape, job done. Don't think they allow that any more though.

gaz wac

got chatting to an old man, over 80, while we were both waiting for our cars. Heard the mechanic say "you failed" and they went off to talk. I went to collect my car and saw the old man in the car park so I went over to him. "what did you fail on?" I ask...."he said I have no seatbelt in the back" !!


It was a newish car so I asked him if he minded if I looked.....the seatbelt buckle was in between the seats!! I told him to go back in.....they passed him!

brightspark

Failed for windscreen washer not working, hadn't driven it for a few weeks and I guess the pipe from the pump had dried up as it worked when I tried it immediately afterwards.

(But I also failed because a ball joint)

CiniO

My first ever NCT in Ireland in 2009.
Fiat Bravo.
One of the wheel screws thread got damaged and damaged the thread in the hub (rear wheel).
I got that fixed by fitting a bolt from the inside of the hub, and using a nut.
So three screws and one nut instead of original 4 screws.

I was pretty sure it's going to be NCT fail.
And it failed indeed, but not because of what I though that this kind of stuff will be unacceptable.
It failed just because nut was put wrong way (cone side out, should be cone side in).

Initially I had trouble undestanding what the problem was, but after guy explained it to me, I said I can fix that in 30 seconds and asked if he would do retest.
He refused, and said I can come back for retest tomorrow.

grogi

gaz wac wrote: »

got chatting to an old man, over 80, while we were both waiting for our cars. Heard the mechanic say "you failed" and they went off to talk. I went to collect my car and saw the old man in the car park so I went over to him. "what did you fail on?" I ask...."he said I have no seatbelt in the back" !!


It was a newish car so I asked him if he minded if I looked.....the seatbelt buckle was in between the seats!! I told him to go back in.....they passed him!

What else would you expect? That's a visual retest...

Vicxas

My mam forgot to put water in the windscreen wiper tank, absolute silliest thing to fail on.

gaz wac

Vicxas wrote: »

My mam forgot to put water in the windscreen wiper tank, absolute silliest thing to fail on.

My dads friend...filled the water tank but it was a cold morning and it froze.....they didn't accept it!

pea be

Dip bulb blew the night before the test..... Thought that was lucky, good thing out didn't happen on day of test.


Replacement was a bugger to get
In through small hatch, but patted myself on the back that I had saved the day.

However, I didn't check alignment, and at the test that dipped headlight was pointing at the ceiling ...bulb was not seated right!

jimgoose

I use some cheap €50 cream faux-leather seat-covers from Halfords just to keep the dust and sunlight off the General's original cloth. I picked up an NCT fail a couple of years back because the centre rear seatbelt fastener wasn't visible. Undoing a small zip and a quick fold was all that took to "repair". Blehhh!! :pac:

Skylinehead

I knew my brake disc dust shield was gone (rusted away), thought they'd let it go. They didn't.

Grand says I, I see visual defects: brake shield missing at the bottom of the results. Get the shield, fit it, and off I go to the NCT for a visual retest.

Nope. I misread results - because that was missing, they didn't test the brakes at all. Minor panic ensues as I have three days left before the retest period is out, but I managed to wrangle one in Fonthill and she went through fine.

neddynasty

I almost failed a few weeks ago for not having ID. Went to the center they asked for ID and I didn't have it on me. I only had the reg cert. They said they'd still do the test and the car could pass all tests but would be given a fail overall for me not having ID. I'd have to go home and come back and show my ID. Asked for the keys back and had a good root around the car. Knew my licence was in there somewhere. Found it eventually so all was good.

fryup

middle back break light and reg light

easily forgotten i suppose

CiniO

neddynasty wrote: »

I almost failed a few weeks ago for not having ID. Went to the center they asked for ID and I didn't have it on me. I only had the reg cert. They said they'd still do the test and the car could pass all tests but would be given a fail overall for me not having ID. I'd have to go home and come back and show my ID. Asked for the keys back and had a good root around the car. Knew my licence was in there somewhere. Found it eventually so all was good.

I was once refused a test because I didn't have licence or passport.
I showed them my national ID (from Poland) which should be accepted as ID all over EU, but they refused it. Till this day I can't understand why are they refusing those.

Anyway - my licence was during exchange process with motortax office, and my passport was left at home abroad, so in fact I couldn't do a test.
Had to ask some random guy who was there at NCT centre to test my car for me.
He did, and car passed no problem.

s14driftking

Sent car in it failed on brake hose perished. Got a new hose and got mechanic to replace it. Sent it back in and the mechanic fitted it to the wrong side. Tester was fair and said if I could replace it before 5 and have it back in he's replace it. Sorted it myself in the end and oassed it.

JBokeh

Drivers window reg was a bit ropey in my passat, used to go up and down with a bit of persuasion, NCT man persuaded it wrong and it went all the way down never to come back up. It was a cold wet day too.

Failed on number plate bulbs a couple of times too

lway

Failed as brake, indicator and rear lights one side of car were dimmer than the other, didn't check it until I got home. I had replaced both rear light bulbs the previous day as I though one of them was on it's way out but didn't clip one of the light clusters back fully so it appeared dimmer than the other side. Clipped it back in and booked a visual retest, was mad I didn't check it out while still at the centre.

Also had a fail for seatbelt buckle missing, it was caught behind the seat but brought tester out to the car and fixed it there and then and he passed it (seems a common mistake in this thread )

conzy

Bought a bulb for an E46 in a garage on the way to NCT, failed miserably in cold and rain for about 15 minutes to fit it, couldn't get clip on fully. Brought it to test.

The only thing it failed on, headlight alignment....

Brought it home and had the bulb clipped in properly in 5 minutes. Had to pay retest fee to get headlight alignment checked.

Had another annoying one recently in that I spotted a cracked spring the day before the test and that was the only thing it failed on

my3cents

conzy wrote: »

Bought a bulb for an E46 in a garage on the way to NCT, failed miserably in cold and rain for about 15 minutes to fit it, couldn't get clip on fully. Brought it to test.

The only thing it failed on, headlight alignment....

Brought it home and had the bulb clipped in properly in 5 minutes. Had to pay retest fee to get headlight alignment checked.

Had another annoying one recently in that I spotted a cracked spring the day before the test and that was the only thing it failed on

I had a mechanic do a pretest and checked the springs myself on my wifes Focus and neither of us spotted the cracked spring down in the housing on the rear suspension. I actually didn't believe my wife (another story altogether) when she told me the car had failed on a broken spring :o.

When I looked for it I couldn't see it still can't but can just feel where the break is. New springs arrived from Micks Garage lunchtime hope to fit them tonight.

Edit> A mechanic I know suggested cutting the end off square and putting the old one back :rolleyes: